Kane County will launch new health care program

Kane County's uninsured residents will have greater access to specialty health care under a pilot program approved by state legislators earlier this month.

Sponsored by state Rep. Ruth Munson, an Elgin Republican, and state Sen. Linda Holmes, an Aurora Democrat, the so-called Health Access Network allows uninsured residents to see oncologists, cardiologists, neurologists and other specialists and receive pharmaceutical assistance.

It expands an existing program, the Kane County Community Health Access Integrated Network, a federally-funded partnership of private and public health providers in the county that has been in place since 2004.

The law, which became effective upon its approval Oct. 11, allocates $300,000 in state funds to the program -- much less than the $5 million sought when the plan was introduced in February.

"We're very happy that we were able to secure that much money," said Kane County Health Department Executive Director Paul Kuehnert. "It will give us an opportunity to prime the pump, so to speak, to get things operational. As we get this under way, we'll have a better handle on what it takes to build a Kane County- based sustainable system to help the uninsured."

Kuehnert touted the program at Tuesday's meeting of the Kane County Board's public health committee.

The Illinois Department of Public Health is required to present a report on the program's success within 18 months. The report must include a recommendation on whether to continue the program.

Both the Senate and the House overrode an amendatory veto made by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who had recommended establishing the program across the state.

Thirty-six percent of Kane County's 495,000 residents are uninsured, underinsured or publicly insured, Kuehnert said.